Track by Track: KRXS - Songs Your Parents Will Hate
Phoenix-based artist KRXS released his debut EP "Songs Your Parents Will Hate" back in January, and even if your parents hate it, there's plenty of good things to take away from the EP, clocking in at eleven minutes between the five tracks. On top of each song having deep meaning and emotion, the EP has a seamless blending sonic influences ranging from Pop Punk to Trap.
KRXS not only finds the aggressive balance between both genres, but also showcases the melodic elements of punk and rap effortlessly. "Songs Your Parents Will Hate" is modern and accessible, while staying underground and edgy.
The opening track "Do You Fuck With Me?" deals with crushed dreams and the loss of loved ones. Another notable track is "Bright Blue", focusing on the classic tale of new love and getting inside the head of who you're interested in to see their thoughts. The EP closes with the track "Parents Hate", depicting the balance of self-expression whether it goes against your parents' best interests or not.
If you're looking for a blend of familiar sonics and themes in a fresh package, stream KRXS' "Songs Your Parents Will Hate" EP. Available on all streaming platforms.
Do You F**k With Me? -
This was the first solo track I finished under my Pop-Punk Emo Rap project KRXS. I made 7-8 unreleased demo tracks with Tazz (my producer) on the hook but hadn't held it down 100% until I found this beat one morning and vibed all the way through it. It held special significance to me because I felt it would sort of set the bar/standard for the rest of the project and I wanted to tell my story as much as I could without losing it's legs as a single.
It's sort of an emo anthem that goes into my roots growing up with a mom suffering from brain cancer and dealing with drug abuse/broken-home vibes I saw in and around growing up in Oregon. I wanted people to know I'm not just an emo kid poser, I've been through a lot and have a unique POV that other kids can relate to. The response to the one-take music video we shot gave me the confidence I needed to keep going with the vibe Tazz and I found through the genre blend, so it worked out!
Regrets
Regrets to me is an absolute banger of a track. Tazz and I wrote it after staying up for 3 days straight making music and probably tracked it 50+ times until it was perfect...The pop-punk guitar riff blended with Tazz's hook and my subtle pop-punk references make it a classic in my eyes. I grew up in the metalcore/pop-punk emo scene in Portland as a teenager and recently found out that the promoter that booked all of those shows that literally saved my life as a kid had passed away the week before tracking Regrets...That's why I said, "R.I.P. to homie Mike Thrasher, Pop-Punk shows all summer.".
It also sort of solidified Tazz and I's friendship in a way and helped us realize that what we had together was something very special. I've had strangers that I've passed out stickers to for promo tell me they already knew who we were and that they were obsessed with that track...it was really cool to have that happen for the first time as an artist that's been trying and starting again with different projects for like 7 years.
Vampire
Yo! This track was fun as hell to make and gave me a chance to find my rap flow. Being a pop-punk dude for years I knew I had to make sure I threw some bars in and a halloween party track seemed on point. I wasn't 100% happy with the flow at the end of the 2nd verse but felt like the music video carried it through. If you haven't seen it you absolutely should, we went so much fake blood haha.
Bright Blue
I remember deciding that C# would be my tuning for KRXS after writing Bright Blue. I worked with an incredible beat maker that built the whole song around my guitar/vocal hook. I was FINALLY able to capture that pop-punk forward sound with a break beat emo trap 808 feel I had been trying to find. It's about me never feeling like I fit in and overcoming being bullied in high school by sticking through all the BS and figuring out how to live my truth on my own as an artist AND get the girl...Highschool sucks and kids need to know that it gets better. I think it was also the best vocal performance that I've ever had recorded, I was very proud of that!
Parents Hate
The title track was the vision for the whole record and the message behind it was one of the reasons why I started making music. I feel like it's cliche but parents just straight up don't understand sometimes, and teenagers are sensitive little weirdos that would benefit from some real talk and more honest, loving conversations without judgment. The first verse is told from the perspective of me telling a group of kids exactly what not to do with their lives. I wanted to chorus to be kind of haunting and really IN YOUR FACE about the hypocrisy of everyone saying to follow your dreams but most never even try or are "stuck". The 2nd verse is me flippin the script to what a conversation could be.
Tracking it was pretty ridiculous though haha. My engineer/producer's partner got covid the day before I was set to track vocals with him....We had to pivot to tracking with Tazz. It was so close to the deadline we couldn't push the date back. Tazz and I finished the song 100% and I am so proud of it. The shitty part was that the DAW we were using kept crashing EVERY TIME WE FINISHED...we wrapped around 3:30 AM but we got it done, my tire went flat on my way home too. It was a long night but worth all of the sleepless nights. Give me 10-12 years and I can look back on moments like those that no one gets to see/have except me and be thankful, I love music and it finally feels like music loves me back.
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